Biological invasions viewed through the lens of evolutionary traps

Anuran larvae cope with unpredictable levels of predation during early development with both behavioral and morphological plasticity. However, the exact mechanism by which tadpoles recognize predators and the relative importance of genetic adaptation versus learning remain unclear. Here we show that tadpoles are capable of recognizing the cues of an evolutionarily novel predator after only a few days of associative experiential learning. This result suggests that learning may represent a rapid and important mechanism for coping with novel and unpredictable changes in an organism’s selective regime.